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Sacked Afghan leader blames opium mafia

THE sacked governor of Helmand province, where British troops are engaged in fighting the Taliban, hit out yesterday at Afghanistan’s drug mafia, suggesting that it might have been behind his sudden ousting.

“I think in Afghanistan, particularly Helmand province, the opium business has a strong role in everything — security, administration, corruption, terrorist activities,” said “Engineer” Mohammed Daud in a telephone interview, his first since being removed.

“The mafia or drug smugglers are against eradication, law enforcement, peace and stability and against me. That’s the real struggle in our area.”

Daud’s removal had not been officially announced by last night but the decision was made clear when he met President Hamid Karzai on Friday. “The president told me he was making changes and several governors were being removed within a few days,” he said.

He was instructed to return to Helmand where the announcement will be made, although yesterday he was